'He Addressed It': Fritz Acknowledges Sinner's Openness About Doping Case Details

Taylor Fritz did not give any strong opinions when asked about Jannik Sinner's doping case at the ATP Finals, but he did say the world No. 1 publicly addressed the details of the case.

Controversy is inevitable when a top athlete fails two doping tests, as Sinner did at the Indian Wells Open in March when he twice tested positive for the banned substance clostebol, but the case's process angered some.

Sinner recently opened up about the complete darkness he felt after discovering that news. The Italian was also shocked since he did not know the clostebol was in his system.

The news became public a few days before the US Open after the International Tennis Integrity Agency's(ITIA) private five-month investigation cleared Sinner of wrongdoing.

However, many questioned why Sinner's case was kept private. Unlike in other cases, such as Simona Halep's, the world No. 1 did not receive a provisional suspension after failing the tests.

Sinner's coach, Darren Cahill, who recently called his player an inspiration for how he dealt with the stress of the case, explained that the US Open champion's team swiftly discovering where the contamination that led to the positive tests occurred is why he did not receive a provisional suspension.

Although that situation is allowed under the current doping rules, many of Sinner's critics were unsatisfied. Nick Kyrgios, who is open to the earth being flat, has been one of the two-time Grand Slam champion's most vocal critics.

Those who feel Sinner should have been banned by the ITIA were happy when the World Anti-Doping Agency decided to appeal the case, arguing that a ban of one to two years would be appropriate.

Sinner is currently trying to focus on playing well at the ATP Finals, held on home soil in Turin, Italy. He has done an outstanding job of remaining focused since the news of his positive tests became known to him.

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That was demonstrated once again when Sinner beat Alex de Minaur in his opening match of the ATP Finals before triumphing against Fritz in a repeat of September's US Open.

In a press conference, Fritz was asked about Sinner's doping case and when a decision might be reached. The American admitted to not being an expert on how long verdicts take to be decided but said Sinner had addressed everything himself.

Fritz does not seem to have the problem others had with the case being kept private for months, feeling Sinner addressing it when the details came to light is an important step.

An exact verdict date is unknown, but previous reports have indicated it will likely arrive in early 2025.

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